State to Release Two Sex Offenders; Both Will Move to Rochester

Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - Recent changes in the handling of Minnesota sex offenders have led to the release of several of the men and two have decided to move to Rochester.

The Rochester Police Dept. has scheduled a community notification meeting ahead of the scheduled release of Larry Black and Robert French.

RPD says the two are being provisionally discharged from the Minnesota Sexual Offender Program and will be moving to the 2100 block of Campus Dr SE Oct. 19. The two have been classified as predatory offenders. RPD says the two have served their prison sentences and are “transitioning into the community.”

The two are among the hundreds of men who were confined as part of the state’s controversial Sex Offender Program which had essentially meant a life sentence because of their slim chance of ever being released. A lawsuit resulted in a federal court decision that found the program was unconstitutional that was overturned. But the state later began reviewing each case and a number of the men have been discharged under strict supervision.

The meeting has been scheduled Oct 17 at the Commons at Rochester Community and Technical College Heintz Center, beginning at 6:00 PM.

Representatives from the Minnesota Sex Offender Program, Rochester Police Department, and Olmsted County Attorney’s Office will be available to answer questions.